The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-10-13
A. M'GREGOR ABROAD.
Lecturing Our Politics Here The
Tory Party.
In the Highlands The Gaelic Tongue
oban and outspoken Politics--They
Must and Will Have Home
Rule--Iona and Saffa.

They tell here of canny Scot VIII
some years ago delivered fine lectur
oatitled. "a Lecture on Florence ant
on being interogated as to the speciti
time he was tarrying in that old city ol
the ArnO. it turned out he had neve
been there at all, but had read guid
books and George Eliots Romola. H,
remarked that any fool could lecture OF
place he had visited and seen, but i
took a smart fellow to deliver an inter
esting and profitable lecture and de
scribe faithfully what he had not seen
He cited in this connection another
instance, saying he had recently list
ened to a charming lecture ON aStron-
Omy, and he was sure the scientlHc gen
tleman had never visited the stars per-
.sonally. He might also have referr' d to
oliver Goldsmith animated Nature,
wherein the said Oliver describes most
animatedly the falls of Niagara and its
wonders, saying by way OF conclusion
that strange to say Indians in their
canoes have passed over the falls with
safety
An American is sometimes surprised
here at the questions put regarding our
country. More than once the intelli-
gent reading people have asked me what
was the difference between the Repub-
loan and Democratic parties invar-
iably told them the former was the pro-
lection party and the latter was not;
that the Democratic party with which
| had always acted, was the party OF
equal taxation, even handed justice,
and as Jefferson expressed it, favored
"a plain government that shall not take
from the mouth of labor the bread it
has earned"
The foregoing explanation was gen
orally new to them, for the name IRE
publican" deceives them. The ''prOtec-
tion" party here is the Tory, being COM
posed mainly of the nobility and their
followers. The privileged classes are
yet looked up to in this land and are
strongly entrenched. But privilege"
mast have an end for the right OF the
people are eternal,
Only last evening, Sept. 18th, | at
tended at Oban, meeting of Liberal
delegates of Argyllshire to consider the
selection of candidate for Parliament.
'Fhe only candidate was Mr.. McFad-
yen, and being in the town, was sent
for to address them and be questioned,
fer he was not resident of the county.
He was fine looking gentleman of
near fifty, and when introduced first
modestly spoke of himself as he was a
stranger among them. He said
he was a native of the shire, having
been born at Campbelltown, that on
beth father and mothers sides he was
Gaelic, though he could not speak, hay
ing been taken away when child, and
had lived in India some thirty years, |
and had there served in various public |
capacities in the Council of Madras, a |
city of 100000, and in the district coun-
ell, the district having population of
thirty millions of people.
After mentioning the large mercan-
tile house of which he was member,
he declared he was for home rule for |
Ireland and for Scotland tOo--that he |
was Democrat, thought it was time to
consider the land question as to tenure, |
etc. Land was different from other |
property. 1t could not be increased,
and upon it the very life of the people
depended. He believed in free religion
and thought the royal family had reach
ed, if they had not exceeded, the limit
Of costly support In fact it was well
expressed, thorough liberal speech. He
only had head-nOtes that he glanced at
occasionally, but it was evident he had
we'll matured and arranged his points.
He named two counties in Scotland
where only eight hundred thousand
acres were under cultivation, and over
four million acres were in deer parks,
so as to afford hunting amusement to
the landed gentry. This certainly is
becoming serious question, for it was
driving people away, and these counties
had been decreasing in population.
This was matter that government
should seriously consider.
For half an hour or more after his
speech he pleasantly answered numer-
Gus questions, after which he thanked
the convention and retired. The dele
gates then discussed the gentleman and
his views, and unanimously placed him
in nomination.
Rev. Duncan McGregor, of Dunoon,
was one of three delegates from that
place. and was prominent in the con-
Vention. His influence among the High
landers is evidently great, and he has
done great deal for the suffering Croft
srs, having collected money in Chicago
when preaching there and sent them.
The Irish National League contributed |
literally, and assistance has been sent
the Crofters from the League in Ireland.
On our way to Oban the day before.
we stopped off at Easdale, the birth
place of the reverend gentleman, who
lectured that evening in the Free
church to the Liberal Library Associa-
tion, the reverend Macdonald, of the
church, presiding. The subject of
the lecture was America, and
after my namesake concluded they
called on another of the clan
for a few remarks. The editor from
Canton, Ohio, responded for a short
time; also a live elderly gentleman, Mr..
Macnish, who had travelled in the
United States and spoke gloriously. ,
He was Liberal delegate from | /.